Changing Skies
by casey.rant
Summary: Edward Cullen, a poor but artistically gifted teenager with dreams of becoming a pilot attends Beverly Hills High School on an art scholarship. But when Bella Swan transfers to the school and flips his world upside down, will he change his priorities? B/E
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Hamistasty and I own that bus though.**

**The summary doesn't belong to me either, as it belongs to the one and only, hamistasty.  
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**Also, this prologue's written by her as well, and I assume, I'll do the next chapter... or the chapter after that? I don't know, whichever she'll feel more comfortable with...**

**WE GET TO FINALLY CO-WRITE. You can practically feel my excitement from wherever you are. No joke.**

**Shout out to Shante17, Christi Robinson, and of course, hamistasty. I'll even give a shout out to .Bedward, 'cause you're just that awesome. I love you too. Even though I only saw you for a fleeting minute after watching Twilight, but I DON'T CARE. I LOVE YOU TOO. xD**

**Apparently hamistasty is throwing this into the angst pile, so we'll just roll with it, right?**

**On with the prologue!  
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Everyday, I would wake up at the crack of dawn when the sun was just rising, when all the colors mix in to form a beautiful painting in the skies. Blues, purples, oranges, reds, yellows, and so on.

Everyday I would look up into those skies and imagine myself in them. Swerving, gliding, turning, and tearing through the winds and clouds in a plane, to a place far away from all my troubles and pain, away from family and financial status, away from it all.

Everyday I would wake up from my daydreams and start my day, hoping for a change, an improvement.

So, Everyday, I would take the public bus #52 for an hour and a half to get to the school bus stop, and then ride that bus to get to school on time. I live for school, I work to learn, I sacrifice everything to get what I want. To ride on that plane for hours and hours on end, To think freely. Breathe deeply, To live, for at least a moment.

At least, that's what I wanted before I met her. She changed my world, and turned me upside down. She confused my every thought, confounded my every epiphany. She made me think twice about my decisions.

She was magnanimous, eccentric, carefree, selfish, scatter-brained, confusing. She was fucking vindictive. But call me stupid if I didn't fall for her charms, her tricks, her games.

Call me and idiot, if I couldn't see right through her, ignore her from the first minute I saw her, look past what everyone else said about her.

I couldn't and I didn't.

Because I couldn't see past the fact that she was sexy, glorious, ethereal, magnificent, insecure, or troubled. One might have called her a vindictive bitch - But hell if I cared, hell if it mattered. I wanted it all.

Transcendental to it all, she was crazy and she was beautiful, in every way. With every look, every touch, every kiss, I would melt. She had the capability to set my fucking soul on fire, leave me begging for more, sustain me to keep going. I would have done anything she asked of me. I would have given her all my dreams and aspirations, everything, and she knew it.

I knew it. But I couldn't stop it.

Any of it.

I hoped she belonged to me.

But I was hers,

Wholeheartedly …  
Undoubtedly…  
Unhesitatingly…

But, everything fades , and everyone hurts.

The world's a cruel place, and she was a cruel girl, and I was an asshole.

And the glorious feelings we once shared together, or as I hoped was together, vanished…with every harsh word said, every slap, kick, and scream.

She took my God Damn heart.

And she broke my fucking soul.

I doubt I would ever get either back again.

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**So there it is! **

**Reviews are welcome, even if it contains a virtual slap. I like it rough anyway. **

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: SM owns. Just like we own that uniform. That was taken from Japanese schoolgirls. HA.**

**So this my chappy, and I'm really sorry it took a really long time to post. School and life itself is too much to handle. Guh.**

**This chapter's nothing too special, but it does introduce our two main peeps. So yeah, it IS important. Angst will follow soon, we promise.**

**Enjoy!**

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I felt around for my alarm clock, trying to shut the damn thing off.

My hand came into contact with my glasses. _No._

Then my water bottle._ No. Again. Come on Cullen, you can do this!_

At last I felt something rectangular and vibrating. _Finally!_ I thought as I threw it on the floor.

I sat up and stretched my limbs. With a wince I stood and made my way to the bathroom, starting my morning off by thoroughly brushing my teeth. As usual.

And as usual, I would look in the mirror and cringe at the sight. No matter how trendy bed hair is in today's society, bed hair will always be fucking bed hair. I constantly have it, no matter how much I try to tame the mess. I shrugged to myself. It's part of who I am; the fucking hair cannot be produced by any of the thousand new products these rich idiots buy in a week.

After a few seconds or so, I left my hair alone. Nothing can change how it looks; even after a shower.

With that in mind, I hopped into the shower, resuming my preparation for another day.

My days were filled with strict routines. They consisted of getting up in the morning, brushing my teeth, and taking a bath. Followed by rushing through breakfast, taking the bus to get to another bus, going to school, then going to work. The days would finish off by eating dinner with my family and completing the homework due for the next day.

The days were all a part of the never-ending cycles of my existence, one after the other, never losing a beat.

I sighed to myself as I felt the hot water stream down my back. _What I would give to have a few more minutes of sleep._

But I couldn't. Sleeping in would be equivalent to me committing academic suicide. If I ever missed a day of school…

I shuddered at the thought. There was no way I could _or_ would ever cause a dent on my reputation. Even if it only involved my attendance.

So imagine my shock and horror when I found out I was a little more than fifteen minutes behind my usual routine.

I looked at the watch I just put on my wrist. I read it correctly. Seven-fifteen.

"SHIT!" I yelled out as I ran to my drawer, pulling out the first pair of boxers my hands could reach, then ran off to my closet. I miraculously put my uniform on in record time. I managed to put on my tie while buttoning up my shirt, simultaneously.

My victory was quickly overshadowed as I fell down the stairs. Seems that running towards a flight of stairs while putting on sneakers _and_ juggling two things in both hands isn't such a great idea.

A bit of luck was on my side though, and I breezed through the door with just a limp in my step. _Thank God nothing broke._

I ran as fast as I could to the bus stop, my breath coming out in short gasps. I pushed myself further and further.

"If I miss that second bus…" I huffed out loud, not caring who the fuck was looking at me like I was psychotic. "If I miss that second fucking bus…"I swear to God if I missed the second bus…

Oh look, there's the second bus. At the third light ahead of me.

Another stream of profanities left my mouth for the second time this morning. I rarely showed such anger and frustration in public. I was constantly cool, calm, and collected. Hell, I was the _epitome_ of cool, calm, and collected.

Today just isn't my day.

And so I waited for the third bus. Because, as far as I could tell, the bus was my only means of transportation. For now.

As I waited for the 52, I thought of my future. Of my dreams, my goals. Of finally getting the hell out of this place.

I thought of traveling across the world, meeting new people, even new girls. The kind who won't flirt one second, ignore you the next after realizing your status isn't up to par with the rest of the social circle. The kind who won't use their "charm" to use your intelligence for the paper due next class.

I looked to my left, hoping to find the bus coming my way. I saw nothing but the luxurious cars passing by, as if without a care in the world.

As if they were another form of species, superior to everyone else. Everyone else who can't afford a damn car.

The same people who're forced to wait for the fucking bus. I looked at my watch again. _Well Edward, what time is it? Pretty fucking late. Fuck my life._

I sighed as I looked up, only to find a girl staring at me with an amused expression.

From what I can tell, she probably went to my school. She had on the same tie as me, and our school colors didn't mix with any other schools nearby. _New, perhaps?_ But then again, there were over two thousand students attending, most of them coming and going as they pleased. So I honestly wouldn't know. Or care. They were all the same, right? _Yeah._

She glanced down inside her car, possibly the clock, then looked at me again. This time a smirk donned her face.

What the hell? She was amused? What can I be doing right now that could possibly amuse…Oh.

Judging by her attire, or at least, the top portion, there really was a good possibility of her being a student at the same school as me.

Which means she knows I'm late too. And she finds it funny. Bitch.

The window rolled down. "Need a ride, pretty boy?" she suggested, a smirk still playing on her lips.

I ignored how pretty her voice sounded and gave her a half-hearted glare. "What's it to you?" I replied, looking straight at her. She looked sane enough, but how would I know? "You honestly think I'm going in a car with a complete stranger who could possibly be the same serial killer in the papers? I think not."

She put her hand against her chest, feigning an offended look. "You honestly think that this," she said while pointing to her eyes, obscured by a pair of large, mediocre sunglasses, "is the face of a serial killer? That hurts pretty boy. Does your mommy still tell you to not talk to strangers or something?"

"Fuck off woman," I growled. Who the hell does she think she is? Does she do this often? Parading around in her pretty little Porsche, picking up random guys out of nowhere? I sniffed in disgust. Like I said. They're all the same.

She abruptly took off her sunglasses and threw them on the passenger seat beside her. She continued to stare with that damn amused expression. From here she looked pretty. Then again, so did everyone else. Anyone worth spending time with either already has the looks, or the money to surgically insert them.

_But I'm pretty sure you can't just put those eyes anywhere, now can you?_ I thought. Big brown eyes. Quite refreshing from all the blue-eyed, blonde hair beach bunnies though.

I was shaken from my thoughts as I heard the sound of at least five other cars honking at her; she either ignored them or flipped them off as they zoomed past her. Whether or not she noticed the green light, I don't know. I figured she didn't even care. Fucking spoiled brats; the smell of money and their own filth can fuck with their senses as much as their morals. Disgusting.

She spoke again, this time her tone laced with boredom. "You going to get in or what?"

I looked at my options. I could get in a car with a complete stranger who really could be the psychotic killer that's on the loose (you never know; everyone here really _is_ good-looking. You can barely tell them apart.), judging by the way she's been giving me that godforsaken smirk all this time. Or, I could continue to wait for the bus, which, at this rate, could be arriving well into the afternoon. I wouldn't know, since I. Have. Never. Been. Late.

Ever.

As I was still deciding, which should've been pretty fucking easy to do, I heard the familiar rumbling sound of the 52 bus. Thank God.

I figured she got the picture; she must've seen the relief taking over all of my other emotions. Annoyance. Wary. Anger. Aggravation. Intrigue? I scolded myself, mid-monologue. _Yeah, okay._

She shifted her eyes from mine to her rearview mirror. She tsked at me while shaking her head. "Well that's too bad pretty boy. I'll see you at school then." She put her sunglasses back on her pretty little face, and I scoffed at her retreating car.

A pretty little Porsche for a pretty little girl.

"_I'll see you at school then."_

The chances of meeting that girl again were pretty slim, let alone having an actual conversation with her. Which would probably feel something close to pulling teeth. Just talking to one would piss me the fuck off. They don't deserve to go to such a prestigious school; I had to work my ass off in order to even get accepted, not to mention maintain that scholarship.

_And besides,_ I thought as I leaned against the window as the bus moved along to its next destination. _The school is infested with people who all look the same. The only way she'd ever remember me is if she took notice of my anti-Gucci/Prada/whatever the fuck else ensemble. I bet just looking at anything with 'polyester' written on its label would give the girl hives._

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Good news: I managed to get to school missing only one class.

Bad news: I still missed a fucking class. Shit.

I trudged up to the main office to get a late slip. As I approached the main desk I saw another student there. Her wavy mahogany hair looked silky and rich. Her profile showed that she was pretty fucking hot, not gunna lie. The corner of her mouth facing me lifted up as she peeked at me through her lashes.

A smirk. And not just any smirk... I instantly recognized it. It was that cocky bitch by the bus stop. What are the odds?

I politely smiled at Mrs. Schwartz, who smiled in return with my late slip in hand. A look of recognition flitted across her face before it took on a look of surprise. "Edward? Never thought I'd see you in this situation. Is everything all right?"

I smiled again at the sixty-or-so year old woman. "Apparently I overslept ma'am. I just hope it won't ever happen again."

"I'm sure it won't dear," she said, trying to give me comfort. Then she turned her attention back to the brunette, a frown on her face. "Now sweetie, why are you so unhappy with the schedule?"

Unhappy girl huffed. "I honestly don't understand why my parents are forcing me to take these fucking classes," ignoring both glares directed towards her. _Well, shit. At least I don't show how dirty my mouth can be in front of teachers. Ever. _ "I mean, seriously, AP Statistics? _Seriously?_ I don't think even my father's ridiculous salary can help me pass in that class!"

"You'd be surprised what people can get away with here, brat," I muttered to myself.

Apparently she heard me and raised an eyebrow. "The fuck that's supposed to mean pretty boy?"

"Language Miss Swan!" Mrs. Schwartz hissed. _Don't these snobs give their offspring some fucking lessons in etiquette before setting them free?_ I thought as I turned on my heel to get to my locker. That Swan chick's premature, it seems.

_Wait, Swan? Why does that name sound so familiar? Swan, Swan, Swan...  
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I contemplated her surname as I grabbed my books for the next class. I froze a second after closing my locker. Now I remember.

_Swan. Charlie Swan. CEO of Swan & Brandon Inc. Possibly the fifth wealthiest and most popular name in the county… and his own precious daughter is none other than that girl? Life's a bitch, no?_

I finally reached my classroom. Before my hand even touched the doorknob, I saw a delicate hand, with at least ten or so bracelets attached to the wrist, reach for it first. I looked up to find that the hand's owner was none other than her. Swan.

Slightly shoving past me with a wink she opened proceeded to the room, leaving me in the hallway, surprised for the third time today. _Is she fucking stalking me or something? I honestly don't remember the last time I've ever seen someone this many times in a day. Sheesh._

"Mr. Cullen, please continue your way towards your desk," a monotonous voice called out, mostly the teacher I don't know, since I already had my back turned and was walking to my seat.

"Class, I present to you Isabella Swan," our teacher said, waving his hand towards her. A faint blush settled on her cheeks, but overall she kept a blank face.

"It's Bella," she said as she walked to the nearest empty seat. And since I barely had any friends due to the fact that the majority of the school contains assholes and dipshits, the only empty seat was right next to me. Great.

I tired to keep my attention away from… Bella, and kept my eyes towards the whiteboard up front. But every so often, my eyes would quickly glance over to my right, where she sat, resting her head on her arms. Not paying attention to the lesson, like I figured she would do.

Making sure I wouldn't get caught (for two reasons), I gave her a semi once-over. She wasn't just pretty; she really was pretty fucking gorgeous. I already saw her eyes once, but that was from afar. They're even better up-close. Her long, thick lashes framed them, unmarred by any type of mascara or whatever the hell else girls put on their faces.

My eyes traveled from her face to her neck, then to her shoulders. Like me, she was unnaturally pale compared to the rest of our classmates; they were all tan, or artificially so. There were no signs of blemishes, just pure looking, silky skin.

After her neck was… the rest of her body. Like the others who could carelessly waste money without a guilty conscience scolding them for doing so, she had also paid extra to get her uniform custom-made.

The sleeves of her blazer, which could have been Versace or Gucci or some shit like that, was artfully rolled up, showing off an expensive-looking bracelet on one wrist and a whole set of other bracelets on the other. On her collar was a pin with a detailed symbol engraved on it, possibly her family crest. On the other side was a monogram with the initials _IMS_. I wondered what the 'M' stood for.

My eyes traveled even lower. Although most of the girls put elaborate patterns and whatnot on their skirts, Bella left hers the original plain gray. Which, to me, looks even better, I guess, I wouldn't know. The only girls I'd ever came into close physical contact with either did not attend school with me, or they were wearing nothing down there at all. I pushed that thought aside before it could go any further.

The sole requirement concerning the skirts was to have it up to four inches above the knee _at most_, but apparently she was opposed to such a rule, leaving much of her pale, creamy thighs to my viewing pleasure.

While her clothes seemed more modest compared to the other sluts in the school, her button down blouse had the first three buttons undone, allowing me a peek of her cleavage, which looked pretty fucking spectacular from where I was sitting, despite the odd angle I was looking from. Then something inside me clicked and gave a mental slap in the face.

_What the fuck are you doing Cullen? Ogling this newcomer, a rich brat no less? And in the middle of class?! Where the fuck's your head at man?_

…_In the gutter, it seems, _I replied back to my inner voice.

Before I could even jerk my head away, however, Bella's head snapped up. With narrowed eyes, she began to scrutinize me, possibly in the same way I did to her? _No fucking way. She wouldn't be interested in someone as "middle class" as you moron._

But then again, she probably didn't even know that I was less fortunate than her. She'll soon find out through her soon-to-be friends anyway.

"As much as I appreciate you undressing me with those pretty eyes of yours, it really is rude to stare," she whispered seductively. Or maybe not. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it.

"Uhh," I stuttered. Well, fuck me.

She let out a soft giggle. "Are you always this articulate pretty boy?"

_That name's starting to get annoying._ "It's Edward, by the way. I'd really like it if you would stop calling me that."

"What, pretty boy? I don't know, it sounds a hell of a lot better than 'Edward'. What happened to 'Jason' or 'Andy'?"

"Andy," I scoffed. "You prefer that? My name's a classic, woman. You don't hear that name often. They usually replace it with something idiotic – like 'Ed' or, good Lord, 'Eddie'!"

She let out a laugh – which could possibly be the prettiest laugh I've ever heard – then quickly clamped a hand to her mouth. The teacher turned away from the board and gave her a look, which she returned with an air kiss. He looked slightly flustered as he turned back around, clearing his throat.

"Look what you're doing, _Edward_," she purred, making me shiver involuntarily, "You're getting me into trouble. What are you, a bad boy?"

"Hardly."

"That's fine, the 'delinquents', or whatever they call themselves here, are pretty fucking lame if you ask me," she shrugged. _What the hell is she talking about? Everyone here is a delinquent. It's just that they haven't been caught. Or their parents bribed the authorities._

By then almost my whole body was turned towards her. How that happened, who knows. As I was about to warn her that I'm not exactly her type, I heard a voice calling out to me.

"Mr. Cullen, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us?"

"Nothing, sir," I quietly replied, feeling pretty fucking embarrassed. _I never get in trouble at school, for anything. Ever._

"Good," he said, before continuing with the lesson. _Which was about…? Jesus Christ, was I really not paying attention at all?!_

This was not good. This was very, very fucking bad. I swore to myself I'd never lose my focus in class, no matter who was paying any attention to me. Especially when it came to girls. I almost lost my focus back in freshman year, when I was opened to the world of meaningless sex, and a whole lot of it. I refused to let myself get into that mess again, and now, sitting right next to me, was a girl who already got me distracted on her first day here. _And she was also there when I was late for school and waiting for the bus. _It's like she's just one bad luck charm.

My thoughts were interrupted when the bell rang, indicating that I really wasn't paying attention at all. The only time I would ever be surprised by the bell would be if I was too engrossed in the lecture. Which was obviously not the case now.

I ignored Bella when she looked at me expectantly, either waiting for a goodbye, or even worse, a suggestion to walk her to class, which was what I saw on a regular daily basis. I walked past her, still ignoring her when she openly swore at my retreating back.

I had to stay away from Bella. I just had to. My conscience was telling me so, which meant that she was bad news. I could feel it.

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**Yet again, this just an introduction; we'll add other people later and blah, blah, bleh, blah.**

**Reviews make us happy. And horny. Well, no, but it could happen.**

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